Industrial washing machine



April 7, 1936. c. c. RHEAD ET AL INDUSTRIAL WASHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l yzmafimm jle vlgezz 5.62450 INDUSTRIAL WASHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 Newt M 6 Patented Apr; 7, 1936 PATENT OFFICE INDUSTRIAL WASHING MACHINE Clifton c. Rhead, Detroit, and Stephen G. Szabo,

Dearborn,'Mich., assignors to Ternstedt Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Mich., a company of Michigan Application January 18, 1933, Serial No. 652,254

Claims.

This invention relates to scrubbing machines and has particular reference to a machine used for scrubbing metal articles to remove grease and dirt therefrom to prepare them for engraving or 5 embossing or for plating or enameling.

Articles which are to be finely embossed or engraved, or which are'to be plated or enameled, must be perfectly clean or free from accumulated grease or dirt. v

The machine of the invention makes use of a cleaning fluid which is commercially known as "Cecolene, an organic solvent and believed to be trichlorethylene. The trichlorethylene is vaporized and condensed in a still and the condensate led to the machine where it is used to clean the work. The machine itself comprises a frame including the still. The frame has an inclined and elongated cleaning chamber built therein and an endless belt travels through the cleaning chamber and carries the work therethrough. Each end of the cleaning chamber is closed by a rubber apron so that the entire cleaning chamber is enclosed. A brush is mounted in the cleaning chamber and is given a reciprocating movement through a suitably operated frame. The brush is positioned near the belt and scrubs the work passing the cleaning chamber. The condensed cleaning fluid or Cecolene" is led to the cleaning chamber and deposited on the article to be cleaned adjacent the brush so that the scrubbing action of the brush also scrubs the cleaning fluid over the work. The endless belt travels on the incline of the cleaning chamber and the cleaning fluid is delivered at a higher point ahead of the brush so that it tends to flow over the work and between the brush and the work. The cleaning fluid as it drops from the work is caught in a pan which has a plurality of cooling pipes which cool the cleaning fluid. A suitable system of pipes returns the cleaning fluid to the still where it is re-used.

Beyond the brush a flow of condensed cleaning fluid is sprayed or flushed over the scrubbed articie to clean or flush away any dirt which has been loosened by the brush. Beyond the flushing or cleaning spray the work passes through a heating chamber having a plurality of steam coils which vaporize the remaining cleaning fluid and cause it subsequently to pass over cooling coils to 50 condense it. The cleaning fluid from both the flushing operation and. the drying operation is caught in suitable pans and returned to the still. Beyond the heating chamber the work passes through a rubber door or partition and is deliv- 55 end to the end of the belt in a perfectly clean and dry condition ready to be engraved or plated.

on the drawings: I I

Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus with parts being broken away and shown in section better to illustrate the construction.

Figure 2 is an end view of the structure of Figure 1 looking from the left, with parts broken away and sectioned better to illustrate'the construction.

Figure 3 is a perspective detailed view show- 10 ing the mechanism for operating the brush.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 2 indicatos the frame of the washing machine. The 15 frame comprises the uprights 4,- transverse members 6 and longitudinal members 8.

At the left end of the machine, asshown in Figure 1, the uprights 4 are'shorter and have secured thereto the longitudinal members 8a'and 20 8b. The longitudinal members 8b have elongat-- ed slots l0 therein in each of which there is received a bearing l2 movable in the slots by a setscrew M. The bearings l2 support an axle l4 having a pair of sprocket wheels Hi. The oppo- 2:. site end of the machine has secured to the end uprights 4, two brackets It in which there is mounted an axle 20 having a pair of sprocket wheels 22. Over the sprocket wheels l6 and 22 there are trained the endless chains 24 which form a part of an endless belt 26, the belt including a plurality of transverse metal plates 21 as shown in Figure 3. The chains 24 have the usual rollers 28 and travel in guideways 29 in a cleaning chamber 3|.

The shaft 20 has a pulley 42 attached thereto and is driven from the belt. 44 trained around a pulley 46 driven from a suitable gear reducing mechanism 48 driven from a motor SI. through the transmission gears 52. One or more idler sprocket gears 53 may be used. The movement of the belt 26 through the cleaning chamber 3| will carry the work from the loading end at through the entrance 30 through the cleaning chamber and out at the exit 34.

The belt 26 passes through an elongated inclined cleaning chamber 31'. The entrance 3| to the chamber is closed by a rubber door or apron 32 and the exit 34 of thechamber-is closed by a rubber apron or ,door 26. The cleaning chamber is inclined from the entrance upward to the exit --as shown in Figure 1. The work to be cleaned is indicated at 38 and is loaded on the endles belt at the loading end at 40.

Inside the cleaning chamber, a short distance 55 beyond the entrance 36, there is mounted a scrubbing brush 54. The brush 54 is secured'to the free ends of two rods 56 .which extend rearwardly through openings in the aprc-n 32 and through I openings in a transverse member 56 of a movable frame indicated as'a whole at 66. The frame '69 comprises the upper iongitudinal rods 62 slidably mounted the brackets 64 secured to the uprights 4 of the washing machine frame. The rods 62 are rigidly 'connected by the transverse members 66, 68 and I6 and vertically extending members I2 are rigidly secured to the end tram.- verse member ill and extend dc-wnwardly and are adjustably mounted at I3 at their ends to the transverse member 56. Suitable braces I4 connect the transverse member 68 with the vertical uprights I2. A U-shapediron I6 is secured to the uprights I2 intermediate the ends thereof and in a threaded boss I8 formed on the base of the there is received the screw 86 having an operating handle 82 at the top thereof. Secured to the lower portion of the screw is the yoke 84 pivoted to the crosshe-ad 86 to which the ends 88 of the rods are rigidly secured By causing the screw 66 to move either upward or downward, the degree to which the brush 54 will bear on the work is determined.

The frame 66 is given a reciprocating motion by means of a link-9| having a yoke 32 at its end pivoted to an eat 34 on the cress member 66. Ayoke s6 attheother end ofthelink 36 is pivotedto an arm 98 securedto a shaft "6 journaled in a dome I62 which houses a suitable mechanisn for translating the rotary motion of the shaft I64 of the electric motor I66 into a reciprocating motion so that the link 36 and arm "will impart areciprocatingmotiontothe frame 6landgivetothebrush54acorresponding reciprocating motion.

Thebrush 54 hassecuredtotheupperportion thereof a plate I68 having an angle end I II to which there is fastened the cup or container II2. The bottom of the container is formed with a suitable outiet'i I4 for the distribution of the cleaning fluid. The outlet may be formed sothatthecleaningfluidwilldriponthemetal or will be spread therealongfrom a nm'row Immediately beyond the brush 54, orhigher up in the cleaning chamber 3i, there is secured the pipe "6, the lower end of which has secured thereto a spray pipe "8 the 1 MB of which is to spray cleaning iiuid onthe work after it has left thebrush andt-oflushawayanydirtorgrease which has been loosened by the brush. The spraypipe II8 maybeofany suitableformandis preferably of a length of pipe which extends substantially the width of the cleaning chamber and sprays the cleaning fluid over the entire area of the work. After the work leaves the spraying fluid it passes under a bridge or partition I26 into the heating chamber I22;' tl 1e heating chamber being formed at the upper end of the cleaning chamber 3|. The heating chamber comprises the box 524 through which. the endles belt 26 Atthebottomoftheboxtherearepositionedthesteampipes I26andatthetopofthe boxarethesteampipes I28. Steampassing through the'pipes will but the heating chamber sothatanycleaningfluirircmainingonthework i8, belt 26 or chains 24, will be volatiliaed. 'Ihe.

vaporswillpassupward throughthespaces I36 in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figure 4 and down the outside of the box I24 or between the box and-the cleaning chamber 35 and over the cooling coils I32. As the vapors will be condensed in passing over the cc-oling coils- I32, the liquid will fall to the common bottom of the heating chamber I22 and the cleaning chamber 3|.

' After passing .through the heating chamber I22 vided with a chamber I34 which has the cooling coils I36 along its bettom and side. A plate I38 is secured across the cleaning chamber and is inclined in .the same manner-as the cleaning chamber. Openings I48 at the lower end and I42 at the upper end allow the cleaning iiuid.

which. drops from the brush'and the work and from the spraying pipe II8 to flow to the 'end of the cooling coils I36 and over the cooling coils to cause the liquid to cool and prevent any vaporization. From the coeling coils, the liquid flows to the outlet pipe I46 to a pipe I46, to a pipe I48 which leads to the bottom of a still I50.

A suitabie chamber I52 at the bottom of the heating chamber I22 collects the liquid condensed by the cooling coil I32, and a pipe 154 conducts the condensed cooling liquid to the pipe.

I46 to. return it to the still.

The still I56 comprises the lower chamber I 56 in which the liqui-gi is heated by the steam coils I58 andcaused to vaporize and to ascend to the condensing chamber I60. The chamber I66 is shown in Figure 2 with its cover I62 open but this cever is normally closed. so that the only exit for the vapors will be down through the condensing chambers I64 over the cooling coils I66. When the vapors come in contact-with the cooling coils; they will be condensed and the clear condensate will fall to the bottom of the condensing chamber and flow from the pipes I68 to the receiving tank I16. I" lead the container H2 and the spray pipe I I6, respectively, for the purpose of delivering the condensed cleaning liquid from the condensing chamber I64 to the work. Preferably, the cooling coils of the invention have cold water run therethrcugh, the water being of such a temperature effectively to accomplish the condensation of the vapors of the cleaning liquid.

We claim:

Llnacleaningandwashingmachineusing a cleaning fluid, an elongated chamber having two, separated sections, means to transport the work to be cleaned through the chamber, means inthe first section of the chamber for scrubbing the work, means adjacent said scrubbing means to distribute the cleaning fluid to the scrubbing means, means in the same section of the chamber beyond the scrubbing means to flush the work Fromthe receiving tank "8, pipes I12 and with the cleaning fluid after the scrubbing opfirst section of the chamber for scrubbing'the work, means adjacent said scrubbing means to distribute the cleaning fluid to the scrubbing meanameansinthesamesectionofthechamber beyond the scrubbing means to flush the work. with the cleaning fluid after the scrubbing op- 'eration, means under the scrubbing and flushing means to catch and cool the cleaning fluid, the second section or the chamber being located beyond the flushing means, and heating means in said section to dry the work, and condensing means at the sides of said heating section-to condense and cool the cleaning fluid.

3. In a cleaning and washing machine using a cleaning fluid, an elongated chamber having two separated sections, means to transport the work to be cleaned through the chamber, means in the first section of the chamber for scrubbing the work, means adjacent said scrubbing means to distribute the cleaning fluid to the scrubbing means, means in the same section of the chamber beyond the scrubbing means to flush the work with the cleaning fluid after the scrubbing operation, means under the scrubbing and flushing means to catch and cool the cleaning fluid, the second section of the chamber being located beyond the flushing means, and heating means in said section to dry the work, and curtains at the entrance to and exit from said chamber.

4. In a. cleaning machine using a cleansing fluid, a frame, an endless conveyor system supported thereby having the discharge end at a means and collecting means for the fluid below a the cooling means and cooperating therewith to catch the liquid as it falls. I

5. In a cleaning machine having an endless conveyor system for moving work past scrubbing and flushing means, a heating and condensing chamber into which the cleansed work passes comprising a U-shaped trough surrounding the conveyor, a member above the conveyor and partially closing the upper portion of the trough,

heating coils carried by the member and the trough above and below the conveyor, a casing surrounding the assembly and cooling'coils therein to condense the vapors passing thereinto which had beendriven oil the work by the heating 25 coils.

- CLIFTON C. RHEAD.

S E HEN G. SZABO. 

